Make your own Nature Paintbrushes - Painting with flowers and nature

Make a set of DIY nature paintbrushes and see what painty patterns you can create. This outdoor art idea for kids is all about the process. Get outside, go on a nature walk, collect lots of interesting pieces of nature and then get painting! Toddlers, preschoolers and older kids will all love experiementing with paint to see what marks they can make!

As we head into Spring and then Summer the kids are going to want to get outdoors more. There are so many fun activities for them to do outside and this is just one of them. We have a whole collection of outdoor art ideas for them to try!

You will need:

Sticks (1 for each paint brush)

Lots of interesting pieces of nature

Elastic bands (or string)

Poster paint

Large roll of paper

Collecting your nature for this activity is half the fun. Go on a walk and see what interesting things you can find. Look for different textures and patterns. Talk about which pieces of nature you think will make good prints.

How to make nature paint brushes

Making the nature paint brushes is easy: Simply attach a piece of nature to each stick using an elastic band (or a piece of string).

TIP: To avoid breaking your pieces of nature put the elastic bands onto the sticks first and then slide your pieces of nature into the bands. Make sure the elastic bands aren't too tight. You may need more than one band to keep your nature in place.

Painting with nature paint brushes

Lay out a roll of paper and get some pots of paint. I like sticking to 2 or 3 paint colours. Explore the different patterns and textures each of the paintbrushes can create.

Try dabbing the brushes on the paper or sweeping them across it.

Most importantly enjoy the process. Have fun, get messy and explore!

Harry loved this activity. He had a great time collecting his nature and loved getting covered in paint as he tested out what he could do with each of the paint brushes.

Artwork by Harry: Age 3

Click on the links below to check out these fab stick craft ideas from other bloggers:

Hello & Welcome!

I'm Louise, a creative mum of three and early years teacher. Messy Little Monster is a place full of art, craft and activity ideas for children. Come and join the arty, crafty, messy fun! Read more here...